Boomer may have decreased hearing instead of being
completely deaf. Also bear in mind they are good at
reading shadows and vibrations. I have a blaze and she
is deaf, and so lively and aggressive towards her
cadge mate. Be just call her BEBE's kid...raven
--- kmc627@... wrote:

> After getting Boomer last Saturday, I learned that
> the gene that
> causes the white stripe on his head and his little
> white toes can
> also cause deafness. So I tried squeezing a squeak
> toy when he
> wasn't looking -- no response. I crinkled a plastic
> bag -- no
> response.
>
> But maybe 20% of the time, I'll make a noise while
> he's doing
> something else and he'll stop and lift his head. He
> won't usually
> look in the direction of the noise, so I don't know
> if the head-
> lifting is a coincidence or an actual acknowledgment
> of the sound.
> And my other two ferrets do that sometimes anyway --
> usually when
> they start to get bored with what they're doing.
> And I know my other
> two can hear, and they don't always look right at
> the source of a
> noise either.
>
> Also, Boomer doesn't seem any more skittish than I
> would imagine any
> new 8-week old ferret would be upon finding himself
> in a new home and
> at the bottom of a three-ferret social pecking
> order. But then
> again, all three ferrets only have one room to play
> in, and it's sort
> of hard for any of them to NOT know I'm there, so
> sneaking up on him
> is difficult -- coupled with the fact that I learned
> of the deafness
> possibility only a few days after getting him, so
> I've been careful
> not to scare him (just in case). But wouldn't he be
> more jumpy if he
> couldn't hear what was going on around him? And he
> does seem more
> keen on being by himself than the others... But
> again, is that
> deafness-related, pecking-order related (although
> one of my other
> ferrets is 7 years old and not energetic enough to
> be too aggressive
> with him, and he seems to hold his own with the
> hyper ten-week old --
> and they all curled up together in the same sleeping
> bag within an
> hour of my bringing him home). Or is it just his
> personality?
>
> In other words, he seems okay if a bit timid. But
> he doesn't seem to
> respond to sudden noises, and that makes me wonder
> if he's just
> timid, or if he's deaf.
>
> Ah, I'm rambling. Sorry. I'm just worried and want
> to do right by
> the little guy. I suppose I'm just wondering if
> anyone has had any
> experience with a deaf ferret, and does Boomer's
> behavior seem
> familiar? Would there be a sure-fire way for a vet
> to check his
> hearing?
>
> Thanks.
>
> - Karen
>
>
>

Beverly,Go to www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/index.html and follow her links to Deaf Ferrets. I also suggest joining the Deaf Ferrets group on yahoo.Lisa and

Message 3 of 8
, Aug 16 7:36 AM

0 Attachment

Beverly,Go to www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/index.html and follow her links to Deaf Ferrets. I also suggest joining the Deaf Ferrets group on yahoo.Lisa and crew--- "Davis, Beverly A." wrote:

> I recently rescued a female ferret. She too is
> deaf. She is white (not
> albino) and has a gray tail. I would like to know
> more about ferret
> deafness.
>
> Beverly
> badavis@...
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: laura moreno [mailto:ravendrkwolf@...]
> Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 8:56 PM
> To: AmericanFerretAssociation@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [AFA Ferret] Deaf fuzzy? (This is kind
> of long. Sorry.)
>
>
> Boomer may have decreased hearing instead of being
> completely deaf. Also bear in mind they are good at
> reading shadows and vibrations. I have a blaze and
> she
> is deaf, and so lively and aggressive towards her
> cadge mate. Be just call her BEBE's kid...raven
> --- kmc627@... wrote:
> > After getting Boomer last Saturday, I learned that
> > the gene that
> > causes the white stripe on his head and his little
> > white toes can
> > also cause deafness. So I tried squeezing a
> squeak
> > toy when he
> > wasn't looking -- no response. I crinkled a
> plastic
> > bag -- no
> > response.
> >
> > But maybe 20% of the time, I'll make a noise while
> > he's doing
> > something else and he'll stop and lift his head.
> He
> > won't usually
> > look in the direction of the noise, so I don't
> know
> > if the head-
> > lifting is a coincidence or an actual
> acknowledgment
> > of the sound.
> > And my other two ferrets do that sometimes anyway
> --
> > usually when
> > they start to get bored with what they're doing.
> > And I know my other
> > two can hear, and they don't always look right at
> > the source of a
> > noise either.
> >
> > Also, Boomer doesn't seem any more skittish than I
> > would imagine any
> > new 8-week old ferret would be upon finding
> himself
> > in a new home and
> > at the bottom of a three-ferret social pecking
> > order. But then
> > again, all three ferrets only have one room to
> play
> > in, and it's sort
> > of hard for any of them to NOT know I'm there, so
> > sneaking up on him
> > is difficult -- coupled with the fact that I
> learned
> > of the deafness
> > possibility only a few days after getting him, so
> > I've been careful
> > not to scare him (just in case). But wouldn't he
> be
> > more jumpy if he
> > couldn't hear what was going on around him? And
> he
> > does seem more
> > keen on being by himself than the others... But
> > again, is that
> > deafness-related, pecking-order related (although
> > one of my other
> > ferrets is 7 years old and not energetic enough to
> > be too aggressive
> > with him, and he seems to hold his own with the
> > hyper ten-week old --
> > and they all curled up together in the same
> sleeping
> > bag within an
> > hour of my bringing him home). Or is it just his
> > personality?
> >
> > In other words, he seems okay if a bit timid. But
> > he doesn't seem to
> > respond to sudden noises, and that makes me wonder
> > if he's just
> > timid, or if he's deaf.
> >
> > Ah, I'm rambling. Sorry. I'm just worried and
> want
> > to do right by
> > the little guy. I suppose I'm just wondering if
> > anyone has had any
> > experience with a deaf ferret, and does Boomer's
> > behavior seem
> > familiar? Would there be a sure-fire way for a
> vet
> > to check his
> > hearing?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > - Karen
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> =====
> Ravendrkwolf@...
>
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